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Monday, February 28, 2011

I knew that Jen Benepe would have much more extensive look into this years NJ Bike and Walk Summit which is one of the reasons why I didn't really bother going into great detail here. Plus, when I cover events, I often just shoot from the hip. Jen, with a degree in journalism could be seen diligently scribbling on her notepad all day at the Summit. I wasn't willing to compete against that. For more in-depth coverage of the Summit, take a look at Part 1 of Jen's coverage on her Benepe's Bike Blog.

For a general gist of the days events, the summit agenda pretty much covers most of what you need to know. The expected highlight of the day was the keynote address given by Rutgers' and New Jersey's own Prof. John Pucher, famous the world over for his groundbreaking bicycle and pedestrian research. As is typical of the man, he gave one of his memorable presentations that had the crowed laughing and roweled up. However there was much more to the summit including a number of neat and unexpected highlights that were not on the schedule.

First, Jim Nicholson was given an award for his leadership role in founding the NJ Bike and Walk Coalition. I've told him personally but I think every bicyclist and pedestrian in New Jersey owes him a debt of gratitude for getting the Coalition off and running.

The crowed gives Jim Nicholson a standing "o" for his work with the Coalition.

So if you didn't make it this year, you sure missed out. For more of the sights from the summit, check out the photo gallery below. Remember though, all photos in this post as well as all other unattributed photos on this blog are copyrighted and I'll only grant permission to copy them if you ask in writing. Enjoy!

I've not always been a big fan of the way some Critical Mass rides have been executed. My take is that these rides should be very passive, follow all vehicle laws and take only one traffic lane when there are several to choose from. I am not sure what the case was here and I am also not familiar with the way Brazilian law handles bicyclists so I can't add anything else except that I'm really surprised that this hasn't happened during any U.S. Critical Mass as of yet.

The video above is the version that actually includes footage of the attack that happened this past weekend. It is all very violent and graphic so be warned! I've embedded this version (there are less graphic edits) because I feel that it is critically important for people to understand the violence that an automobile is capable of perpetrating. This is also one of the rare video examples of a car crashing into one or more cyclists and I again feel that it is important for all people understand how violent a car / bicycle crash really is.

The primary lesson that we should take from this tragedy is that there is little difference between the potential violence and carnage that can be perpetrated using an assault weapon or an automobile. This video is proof of that and it's time that our laws acknowledge this reality!

Such a horrible event saddens all of us at WalkBikeJersey and we wish (and pray) for nothing but the best for all the victims of this savage attack.

WBJ was made aware of this incident from Streetsblog LA. More info about the tragedy can be found there.

The below comes to WalkBikeJersey from the good folks at the West Windsor Bike/Ped Alliance. The location of their meeting is an easy bikable or walkable mile from the Princeton Junction train station (more below).

Andy Clarke, president of the League of American Bicyclists, (www.bikeleague.org) , the oldest national bicycling organization, will speak at the West Windsor Bicycle and Pedestrian Alliance’s annual meeting on Thursday March 17. LAB recognizes bicycle-friendly communities, businesses – even universities. Andy will talk about what we can all do to make our communities friendlier for bicyclists and pedestrians and why it matters.In addition, WWBPA trustees will talk about our plans for 2011, including our second annual Community Walk, our West Windsor Bikes: lose the training wheels event at the West Windsor Farmers’ Market on May 21 and our efforts to expand West Windsor-Plainsboro’s participation in International Walk to School Day. We’ll also be taking suggestions from members about projects and activities that they’d like to see. In addition, we’ll be honoring three people for their service to the community and introducing our next group of student advisors.It all takes place at 7 p.m. March 17 at the West Windsor Senior Center, off Clarksville Road at North Post Road, next to the post office. Light refreshments will be provided.West Windsor Bicycle and Pedestrian AllianceFollow our progress on www.wwbpa.org

Directions to the March 17th WWBPA meeting at the West Windsor Senior Center (next to the Post Office).

Friday, February 25, 2011

If any of you read Streetsblog NYC (or actually watch CBS 2 News), you will know that for some odd reason, the editorial staff at the Channel 2 News seems to have it out for New York City's innovative and bold bicycle planning initiative. Well, not content to just focus their displeasure on only NYCDoT on this issue, the news staff CBS 2 has crossed the Hudson to take a shot across the bow of New Jersey's most progressive town on bike/ped planning, Hoboken.

While their bias is again heavily slanted, as is evident in the way the piece opens up, it’s not as bad as I feared it could have been, particularly if you saw any of Marcia Kramer's truly anti-bike lane pieces from the past 6 months.

Unfortunately CBS 2 News never got anyone from the City of Hoboken, like the mayor or Ian Sacs (Director of Transportation and Parking for the City of Hoboken), to rebut any of the article's insinuations. If they did, they might have been informed that bike riding on the sidewalk is a sign that the city streets are perceived by some cyclists to be too dangerous to ride on. The best remedy for this problem would be some sort of bicycle facility, like a bike lane, sharrow or even a cycletrack to give cyclists a more comfortable and appropriate place to ride. This is a much more effective solution to prevent cyclists riding on the sidewalk then any level of police enforcement.

Thanks goes to Streetsblog for staying on top of daily local news articles focused on sustainable transportation issues.

One note: It's a shame that of all the towns talked about, there is not one mention of anyplace in New Jersey. Heck! Even Columbus, Ohio gets a prop! Well, then again, I don't think that Philly is mentioned either but it would still be nice to have a town in our state that was at the forefront of this movement to be noticed.

Once you get to the Transit Center getting to the Summit is an easy task. At only 0.9 miles away, the Masonic Temple is about an 18 minute walk or a 5 minute ride by bicycle. Sidewalks are plentiful and traffic on State Street is calm and sparse particularly on a Saturday with all the state offices closed.

Also, WalkBikeJersey has been notified that THERE WILL BE BICYCLE PARKING AVAILABLE ON SITE, and likely inside the Masonic Temple. Make sure you bring a lock even if bicycle parking is allowed inside the building.

It is also possible to take the Delaware and Raritan Canal Towpath to get to Trenton from destinations north along the Delaware River and now also from the northeast, from Princeton and destinations beyond. This is due to the recently completed, paved section of trail along Rt US 1 and the train tracks, between Mulberry St and North Broad St.

The dusty but paved new section of trail just south of Mulberry St. *

One is also not restricted to using the D&R Canal Towpath to get into Trenton. South Clinton Ave makes a fine approach for cyclists from the southwest. The modified street grid network of Trenton and surrounding Hamilton makes approaches from the area east of Rt 1 fairly doable. Unfortunately the same cannot be said of the area to the north and west of US Rt 1, out to the loop of I-95 and in the newer sections of Hamilton Township to the east. Here the residential streets only partially connect and nearly all the arterial roadways have little accommodations for cyclists. Still, there is always the bus.

Are you looking to engage your local bike shop in Safe Routes to School programs? Or, as a local bike shop, have you been looking for ways to get involved in the Safe Routes to School movement but haven’t quite figured out how you fit?

This webinar will highlight success stories in Colorado and Austin, Texas that have teamed a local program with a bike shop to enhance Safe Routes to School efforts. In addition to programmatic highlights, presenters will explain the benefits of involving bike shops, describe a strategy for approaching local bike shops, and discuss concrete ideas for collaboration ranging from low hanging fruit to full-fledged sponsorship.

Involving bike shops in Safe Routes to School projects is key to creating a sustainable program that encourages more bicycling. Any parent, program staff, manager or bike shop staffer that has struggled to implement bicycling within Safe Routes to School activities should attend this webinar!

Presenters:

Jenna Berman, Education Director, Bicycle Colorado

Leslie Luciano, Director of Advocacy, Bicycle Sport Shop, Austin, TX

David Cowan, Program Manager, Safe Routes to School National Partnership

Robert Ping, State Network Director, Safe Routes to School National Partnership

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Potential Attack on funding for bicycling could happen this week
We are on "Amendment Watch"

Dear Friends:

Working with our partners at America Bikes, we have been monitoring and preparing for possible federal budget cuts that could attack biking and walking. This is a “pre-alert” to give you the heads up that if biking and walking funding and programs are attacked, we will have a very short window in which to take action.

If an amendment attacking biking and walking is proposed we will let you know right away and ask that you do your part as a citizen to raise your voice for biking and walking. If such action is required we will provide specific information and directions.

There is no action to take at this moment – this is just a heads up that we need everyone to stand-by for action.

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Today is the closing day for NJ Bike/Walk Summit on-line registration. The Summit will take place in Trenton, NJ on Saturday, February 26, just ten days away.

We normally hold registration open for a few days after the deadline because registration forms sent to us by mail lag a bit. We've decided to leave the on-line registration open also, but only until Saturday, February 21, at which point both mail and on-line registration will close.

We've had an excellent response to the summit and THERE ARE ONLY 15 SPACES LEFT!

If registering for the summit has somehow slipped your mind this year, you still have a short window of opportunity left to register and be part of this event.

Join us in Trenton on February 26 and make a statement for bicycling and walking!

Ed note - If you're going to read one article in WBJ this week, let it be this one. I spent the better part of three days doing the research and putting this story together because this is really important. Thanks for reading!

Locations of NJDOT Bikeway Grant recipients throughout NJ.
View NJDOT Bikeway Grant Projects 2011 in a larger map.
Zoom in on project area to see project route details

Without specific information it’s difficult to get an understanding of exactly what this nearly $3 million is going to help build. In light of this, WalkBkeJersey decided to do a little bit of on-line investigating to get a better idea where this money is going. Unfortunately again, plans for all but one of these projects were not to be found on-line. However, through newspaper stories, information on local government websites and through some well deduced interpretations and observations from aerial imagery, I was able get a good idea of what is planned for 8 out of the 12 projects. The end result is the interactive Google map above and project reviews below. I’ve done my best to interpret the information I found and only mapped the projects where I felt I had enough information to do so.

Of the projects I was able to get a good idea about, some are well though out and will have clear benefits for all levels of cyclists. A few seem to be great ideas but are likely see little use due to location. Others will take many more years and many millions of dollars to make them practical and usable routes. Then there are those that are well intentioned but the designs and treatments leave much to be concerned about. So on to the reviews:

Monday, February 14, 2011

The interactive map above contains the bicycling to work numbers from the US Census Bureau's American Community Survey 2005-2009 by Municipality. Clicking on any NJ town on the map will give you additional information such as the number and percentage of those taking transit or walking to work.

This data should not be confused with the 2010 Census, the American Community Survey is a large ongoing phone survey that covers questions that are no longer included with the 10 year Census.

Bike to Work data is not representative of the actual number of bicycle trips taken because it only accounts for commuters who bike to work more than 3 days a week. It doesn't count occasional riders or bicyclists riding to transit (they are counted as transit riders). It is however a good barometer of bicycle activity in a given area.

Friday, February 11, 2011

Again, I don't like to just rehash content that is already out there on the web without at least a little analysis but the following two videos that were featured on Streetsblog NYC are just too good and pertinent not to share.

The first is a look at the different view the media and law enforcement has of cyclists and of the drivers that hit them in the Netherlands. Clarence's analysis of the differences is spot on and needs no further comment so take a look at what he has to say here.

Also, and maybe even more relevant to New Jersey, is this video meant to counteract some of the national push-back on Red Light Cameras. The video has it's very disturbing moments, so be warned. There is a bit of irony since much if not all of the video of the crashes seem to have been shot on Red Light Cameras (tragically ironic, really since the cameras didn't seem to help those victims). Again Streetsblog's analysis along with that of the commenters just about says it all.

Thursday, February 10, 2011

The following is a verbatim copy of the NJDOT press release with the same above title. Readers should note that monies awarded from all four individual grant programs are helping to pay for projects intended to make improvements for bicyclist and pedestrians almost exclusively. -Ed.

(Trenton) - The Christie Administration today announced that the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) will award 33 grants worth a total of $7.6 million to municipal and county recipients through four Local Aid programs.

The state-funded grants will support projects that competed for FY 11 funding under the Transit Village, Centers of Place, Bikeways and Safe Streets to Transit programs, each of which falls under New Jersey’s $200 million Local Aid program. A total of 237 submissions competed for the funding.

This was a bumper day and week in the news regarding bike and pedestrian issues around the state today so instead of try to rehash everything in my own words it's just easier for me to link you directly to the stories.

The Tri-State Transportation Campaign released its third edition of its report titled The Region's Most Dangerous Roads for Walking (2011). Included with the 10 page report are a series of factsheets for each county in the area that the TSTC covers along with links to interactive Google maps showing the locations of the crashes and the hotspot roadways. New Jersey gets special consideration by TSTC as it is the only state to have the crash data for all of its counties broken down.

With all the snow on the ground for the past two months, one can't help but notice how all the piles of snow on the streets have been acting as de facto bulb-outs and neck-downs. I've been meaning to go out a document this in my neighborhood but today I came across this great video by Clarence at Streetfilms. So why bother trying to reinvent the wheel when an expert such as Clarence has done such a great job demonstrating the principle already. Enjoy!

BTW, Clarence is a really great guy and a good friend of Kerri down at Second Life Bikes in Asbury Park.

Monday, February 07, 2011

The following is forwarded here from Tamara Redmon, Pedestrian Safety Program Manager at the Federal Highway Administration.

The next FHWA Pedestrian Safety Webinar will take place on Wednesday, February 23, from 1:00-2:30 Eastern Time.

This FREE webinar will feature a presentation on the FHWA’s newly completed Pedestrian Safety Strategic Plan: Recommendations for Research and Product Development that can be viewed here: http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/ped_bike/pssp/. This 15-year plan ensures that the entire pedestrian program and each project undertaken by FHWA are aimed at reaching the goal of reducing pedestrian fatalities and injuries.

This is a great, well edited but simple video of a well designed roundabout and of all the locals residents admitting that all their strong doubts about the project were entirely unfounded. The location is Glens Falls, NY. While this is primarily a project to benefit motorized traffic, there are still a great deal of pedestrian amenities like bump-outs and streetscaping not clearly shown in this video, around the roundabout and down the main street. It would be curious to see what people's reactions would have been if the video interviewed a whole bunch of locals after a (pedestrian zone, woonerf / shared space / play street, bike lane, traffic calming, shared use path, etc. - choose one) was installed that was never intended to solve a traffic flow problem. That would be much more interesting, indeed.

Also, I wonder if that being from up state New York has anything to do with people willing to admit that they were wrong. If you threw in a little "Jersey Attitude," would it change people's opinions of the end results?

If your curious to see what the intersection looked like prior to the change, this Google aerial image shows what it once looked like. Then to compare, you can go to the Streetsview and see what it looks like today while you take a virtual drive through the roundabout. The transformation is incredible and exceptionally well done (bike lanes?)!

Tickets are now available online at (www.newambikeshow.com) and cost $15 for general admission in advance and $20 day of the event. The show will benefit Transportation Alternatives, the advocacy group dedicated to reclaiming the city’s streets from automobiles. TA representatives will be on hand to provide valet bicycle parking to guests as well as safe and useful bicycling tips for new New York City cyclists.

This large bicycle show will feature more than 33,000 square feet of unique bikes and accessories over three huge floors and is geared to promote “the alternative transportation lifestyle” to the ever-growing number of New York City cyclists. Transportation Alternatives recently estimated 201,000 New Yorkers were riding each day in 2010.

The New Amsterdam Bicycle Show takes its cue from Amsterdam, Holland's capital and the friendliest biking city on the globe. The event will also feature information on many bike-centered events related to Bike Month NYC 2011—from organized rides by BIKE NEW YORK to film screenings and fashion shows in and around town.

Bicycle manufacturers and makers of products related to bicycling are welcomed to become involved. To find out more about tickets for this event, how to become a sponsor or how to become an exhibitor at The New Amsterdam Bicycle Show, please visit www.newambikeshow.com

Thursday, February 03, 2011

Fourteen intrepid bicycling soles braved the cold and ice on Tuesday evening and made it out to Zeppelin Hall in Jersey City for Bike JC's first meeting of the new year. Even I made my way all the way up to Jersey City to see what these good folks are up to. Their meeting boiled down to a number of key items.

Bike JC is looking into filing for 501(c)(3) status. Currently they are just a loose gathering of like-minded people looking to improve the state of cycling in Jersey City. As part of this they are also investigating whether or not they should become a League of American Bicyclists affiliated club, notably for the insurance LAB provides its affiliated clubs for liability incurred during officially sanctioned bike rides.

...towns are encouraged to submit applications for such non-traditional projects as those that support safety, walking and biking and streetscape improvements in their communities. Seven percent of the projects selected for funding were of that type.

The Comissioner also went on to say:

Resurfacing projects will always represent the bulk of the awards, but we were pleased with the number of non-traditional entries because it means we are increasingly recognizing the needs and safety of all who share our roadways

This is indeed great news. However, I can't help but wonder, of the other 93% of projects, how many of those could or even should have had bicycle and pedestrian improvements integrated into the design scope? As the commissioner even said, the bulk of the grant request were for street resurfacing, however street resurfacing is often the ideal time to make bicycle and pedestrian safety improvements. Why dig up a road twice?!?! For example, many experts say that street resurfacing is the perfect time to stripe bicycle lanes (if appropriate for the roadway).

Still, the tone of this press release is extremely encouraging and shows that NJDOT continues down a path of improving conditions for bicyclists, pedestrians and transit users. In the future it would be great to read NJDOT giving greater preference to municipal governments that take a Complete Streets approach to all grant requests. However, this is a great first step towards that goal. I'll take that!

The Star-Ledger print edition reported today that Planet Bike on Rt 18 in East Brunswick received extensive damage from a fire yesterday morning short before 7am. Fortunately it appears that no one was injured in the blaze. Partial coverage can be found at the bottom of this online article.

This is sure to be a blow to the folks at Planet Bike as all bikes shops are getting ready to build up their 2011 inventories at the end of this month. We at WalkBikeJersey wish the folks at Planet Bike the best of luck in getting their shop back in order and hope to report about their recovery in the near future.

Wednesday, February 02, 2011

The below is forwarded here on WalkBikeJersey from Rich Conroy at Bike New York. It is my understanding that those wishing to take this workshop do not need to be LCI's but will likely need to be teachers. Interested persons should ask Rich directly.

Bike New York will be offering their Bike Driver's Ed training workshop at the upcoming NJAHPERD conference in Long Branch, NJon February 16th. The Bike Driver's Ed training equips Educators to implement a multi-session bicycle skills program for elementary, pre-teen, and teen cyclists, such as for use in PE classes, after-school programs, or summer camps. Educators will be prepared to teach students how to drive their bicycles as vehicles on the road. Participants gain an understanding of vehicular traffic rules and cyclists' responsibilities, proper bike and helmet fit, use of gears and brakes, essential bike handling skills, and basic repair and maintenance.

There is still some space available for this training. If you or anyone you know may be interested, please call or email Rich Conroy

Tuesday, February 01, 2011

I was reading The Star-Ledger today (yes, real newsprint) and came across the tragic story of the life and death of Joao Silva written by columnist Barry Carter. It was so touching that I felt must be shared with you all. Stories like this, that put a real human face on the statistics we hear about everyday, are important to remind us what's at stake.

Silva was the chef at St. Philip's Academy who had a knack for sneaking healthy vegetables into the school lunches without the kids ever noticing. He was hit and killed while crossing Central Ave in a crosswalk directly in front of the school, as he walked to work back in early November.

Barry Carter's story about Joao Silva and his memorial service can be found here.

About Us

WalkBikeJersey is the source for news and analysis of bicycling and walking issues in New Jersey. The authors are advocates and professionals working to make our residents healthier, our air cleaner, our streets safer and the overall quality of life in New Jersey better.Banner Photo- Bike Touring: Sunrise Mt Rd - Stokes State Forest, NJ